A Tale of Murder, Vengeance and Love
by Delirium-3000
Summary: CHAPER 4 FINALLY UP! A dead man with superhuman strength. An assassin with an amnesia. What will happen when they meet? What will happen when they have to work together? What will happen when they discover love? BryanxNina pairing. Please R&R.
1. Missions

**A Tale of Murder, Vengeance and Love**

_by Delirium3000_

AN: This is my first fanfic, so bear with me. It is a Bryan/Nina pairing, which there is all too few of here, so I had to make one myself. The story is not chronologically correct, and I am aware of that. It mentions that Abel left Bryan a week before the story begins, but it also mentions that the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament has been held. Which is a contradiction since Bryan was abandoned two years before the tournament, so... Well, anyway, I think we can safely say it's an AU fic, so lay off any time-space continuum mess-ups when you review, okay?

Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken or any of its characters, Namco does. So keep the lawyers off my back. We clear on that? Good. Now we start.

change of perspective (3rd person always, following either Bryan or Nina)

"text" Dialogue

_text_ Thoughts

You get the idea. R&R, and you will get more...

Chapter 1: Missions

"DAMN IT!"  
Bryan smashed his fist into the brick wall, which caved in at the sheer force of the punch. Normally, a human being would not be able to do that. But Bryan Fury is far from ordinary. A former undercover cop, Bryan was once one of the best NYPD could offer, in terms of undercover jobs. There was never a shadow of doubt, when Bryan was in business, he was not about to be stopped. Not until the criminals were dead or behind bars, anyway. He had a shady side, though; a past concerning a job as a hitman, his connections with a large crime syndicate, a rep sheet that would have removed his badge a long time ago, etc. But the difference was, Bryan never carried a badge. He was almost a freelance cop. Almost. Not that he was corrupt, but he just wasn't formally a cop. He was a man who knew the NYPD chief, he was a man who had won several kickboxing titles in his youth and he was a man who had a sense of justice. Mark the word had.

Things went wrong in the end. Really wrong. Bryan was shot several times in the chest, and left for dead. Which he was, until he was revived. Granted superhuman strength by a scientist, Dr. Abel, Bryan was granted a second chance and then some. Not that it didn't have any side effects, mind you. He still looked dead, with his pale skin, lifeless white hair, the six bullet holes in the torso and the world's longest scar, started on his forehead, went over the eye (and barely missed it), ended at the jawbone and began again at the shoulder to end by the hip. But after that treatment, who wouldn't be dead? But the really bad side effects was the fact that he needed a dose of a specific serum once every three months to be able to sustain the aforementioned powers, even when dead. No one knew how this serum was made, apart from Abel himself, who controlled this supply to keep Bryan on a leash. Anyway, things was looking bad for Bryan indeed. When offered a job as a top scientific advisor for the Mishima Zaibatsu, Abel packed his bags and abandoned Bryan, leaving his own creation with a single dose of serum to live on. Too short to live for Bryan, who still had things to do. He promptly got away, being on the run non-stop for a week, and got to where he was now; in a dark alley in the slums of Shinjuku. He was furious, living up to his last name, and he had two thorns in his side: the Mishima Zaibatsu, and Dr. Abel. Although that wasn't all that was bothering him...

As Bryan ran further into the alley, he heard a strange fluttering noise, like a pair of overgrown insect wings. He looked upwards, and saw a strange creature that looked like a man with, you guessed it, a pair of overgrown insect wings and a katana. A creature Bryan knew all too well...  
"Yoshimitsu? What the hell is he doing here?"  
Bryan watched Yoshimitsu fly over the alley, looking at Bryan for a few seconds, and then fly away. A lot of thoughts ran through Bryan's head. He had tried to get to Yoshimitsu in the third King of Iron Fist Tournament, as the order from Dr. Abel was, but the Manji leader had left before Bryan even saw him. Now, Bryan was unsure what to make of the fact that Yoshimitsu had trailed him. The fact that Bryan wasn't attacked by the Manji leader was a good indicator that Yoshimitsu was not wanting him dead...yet. So Bryan shrugged, ran out of the alley, and walked slowly into the crowd. He knew what needed to be done. He had to find Yoshimitsu and find out what was going on.

Meanwhile, Nina Williams was sitting in a small flat she rented in Tokyo. Waiting for a message from her 'manager', she sat on her bed, staring out the window. The streets below pulsated with life, and the noise from the streets could be heard a mile out of town, but for Nina, the sound of life was calming, almost serene, as she looked out the window. Things had been quiet for many years...too quiet...

After the second King of Iron Fist Tournament, Nina was put in cryosleep for fifteen years, until the third Tournament. She worked as a contract assassin both before and after the years in cryosleep, but after her awakening, she had suffered amnesia, and was unable to piece together her past. But someone knew. And Nina was not about to give up hope on restoring memory. During the fourth Tournament, she was hired by the Mafia to assassinate Steve Fox, a young British boxing champion attending the Tournament. She failed the mission. Her first failure ever. Even though the hit was easy, and she was cold as ice, until she received some additional info about Steve Fox. it turned out he was the product of artificial insemination project initiated a mere month after Nina went into cryosleep, and that Steve's biological mother was none other than Nina. Yes, that's right. That fact hit her like a brick in the face. Sure enough, Steve had no memory of her, and Nina had none of him, and she was a trained assassin, but there was no chance that she could pull the trigger on her own son. At least not without a damn good reason, of which she had none at the time. So her clients were most dissatisfied, and Nina had been on the run from them for a while. Now, things were calming down, and she was taking jobs again. Life was back to barely normal, at least for the time being.

The laptop made a stupid chiming sound, and an envelope popped up on the screen, signaling the fact that she had received mail. Nina had meant to do something about the sound, but she hadn't bothered with it lately. Which she now wished she had. The message was cryptic, forwarded from a Dr. B., that said that he wanted Heihachi Mishima's scientific advisor Dr. Abel, dead. Not much info was given, apart from the fact that one of the target's former projects would be keen on killing him too, in return for the target's research material on him. The only picture attached to the message was of the aforementioned project: it was a snapshot of a white-haired, pale and scarred man in a dark alley outside Shinjuku, wearing a black T-shirt, a pair of biker gloves and a pair of snakeskin trousers.  
"There's something really familiar about that man, but I can't put my finger on it..."

_To be continued..._

AN: Ok, that was a really short chapter. I'll beef up the length of it and bring in the stuff that earned the Romance tag later on. Be patient, this one will take time to build up. Once it does, you won't regret reading it. Please R&R. Constructive critisism only.


	2. Contacts

**A Tale of Murder, Vengeance and Love**

_by Delirium3000_

AN: Ok, first off, I would like to say thank you for your patience. Those who reviewed (both of you), thanks for taking the time to tell me what you feel about it. I appreciate it. Keep it coming. And one more thing: I have never been to Japan, so what I write here may not be exact, but then again, I'm no nitpicker, and neither should you be.

Disclaimer: I still do not own Tekken or any of its characters, Namco does. So keep the lawyers off my back. We clear on that? Good. Now we start.

change of perspective (3rd person always, following either Bryan or Nina)

"text" Dialogue

_text_ Thoughts

You get the idea. R&R, and you will get more...

Chapter 2: Contacts

_Hell, this is not going my way. Finding that winged nut-job here is like finding a suitcase of uranium at Wal-Mart. And even though I could see him easily, he does not want to be found. And when he doesn't want to be found, you can't find him._  
Walking through Shinjuku, Bryan was feeling like punching someone. But even he wouldn't do something like that for no reason. So he just continued, knowing Yoshimitsu had a flair for arcade gaming, of all things. Bryan's eyes were watching every arcade booth he passed on the way to nowhere in particular. For each booth he saw, there was only the pathetic low-lifes wasting away by the joystick and spoiled teen brats of the upper-class families of Tokyo, thinking that they were the coolest people on earth or something stupid like that. Seeing this discouraged Bryan from the attempt to seek out Yoshimitsu, until he saw a strange man in armour standing by a "Time Crisis 3" machine in the corner.  
_Well, well, there he is...time to catch up..._Bryan smirked and went over to the Manji leader. 

"Hey, Yoshimitsu!" The armoured figure turned on hearing his name, but in doing that, he lost the game.  
"Shimatta, Furi-san!" Yoshimitsu flicked a translator-switch on his neck, and left the light gun in the arcade machine. "Now, what do you want from me?"  
Bryan looked sternly at the Ninja and said: "Why were you following me? And why didn't you kill me?"  
Yoshimitsu laughed with a hollow, mechanical voice. "That is because Boskonovich needs you, Fury. We never wished you any harm anyway, you are too valuable."  
"What?" Bryan was astonished. Abel had indoctrinated Bryan, making him believe that Yoshimitsu and Boskonovich wanted Bryan and Abel dead.  
"You never knew?" Yoshimitsu looked at him. "Then I don't suppose you ever heard the details on Project Cyberman, then."  
Bryan shook his head. He had heard the name from Abel, but never anything more than that.  
"I am not surprised. It is the truth about your superior strength, as well as the truth about you, Fury..."

_--- _

_What is he doing?_  
Unbeknownst to Bryan, he had been watched. Ever since he began walking down the street where Yoshimitsu was, Nina had been watching. She was given Yoshimitsu's location from the start. Now she was looking while the former enemies talked. _Where have I seen him before? The Ninja I recognize, but Abel's former project... I know I've seen him before... Wait. Now I remember! He was at the third King of Iron Fist Tournament! But I have to find out who he is..._She pulled out a directional microphone and pointed it towards Bryan and Yoshimitsu.

_---_

"Project Cyberman was the brainchild of both Boskonovich and Abel. Once they were like brothers, but Abel became greedy and power-mongering. It went to his head with Cyberman. The second he had all the necessary data, he fled Japan and went to the states to find a subject – you."  
"Well, this is just great! Like I didn't have enough of a reason to rip the damn fool apart, now I find out that I'm just a pawn in his game for control over whatever it is he wants! Shit!"  
"Abel wants control over the Mishima Zaibatsu. He had it before the first King of Iron Fist Tournament, and Kazuya Mishima fired him straight afterwards. Young Kazuya has always been a thorn in Abel's side. But Heihachi, never held anything against Abel. Which perhaps would explain the fact that Abel is re-hired as main scientific advisor for the Mishima Zaibatsu. I don't know why Heihachi waited so long, but Abel would not refuse another offer to retry another secret grab for power at the Zaibatsu."  
"Which in turn explains why he suddenly got all antsy when he received the offer from them. The bastard!" Bryan gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles.  
"All in due time, Fury. We have already got a plan of sorts underway. All I can tell you now is that we need your cooperation in finding Abel and bringing us his research material. In return, we will use this to help you in synthesizing your serum."  
Bryan twitched. "How did you know?"  
Yoshimitsu started to walk. "Remember, Boskonovich and Abel were once partners. I read his Cyberman log myself. Some interesting procedures. If it was ever made public, or legal, for that matter, the world would get very strange very quick."  
"Yeah. But enough chit-chat. What do you need of me?"  
"Check in at this hotel, and await further instructions."  
Yoshimitsu handed Bryan a small hotel pamphlet. Without hesitation, Bryan accepted, and went straight for the hotel.

_---_

_That's my cue! Time to move._  
With incredible precision, Nina packed her D-microphone into a briefcase and got out of the alley she was hiding in. Knowing the city better than Bryan did, she managed to beat him to the hotel, and waited for him a block away. When she spotted him, she went towards the hotel herself. She arrived while Bryan still stood in the reception.  
"...and here's the key. Room 306."  
"Thanks."Bryan picked up the keycard and took the elevator up. Nina went straight for the reception.  
"Any available rooms?"  
"Errr...yes. Room 315. Here's the key. Call us if you need something!"  
"I will."_You're mine, Fury!_

Bryan got into the room and dropped on the bed. It was comfortable. He couldn't remember the last time he felt comfortable like this. He stared at the ceiling fan. It was soothing. A sensation of tiredness crept to him. He slept. But only for a couple of hours, before he awoke, not needing any more sleep than that. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept for two entire hours, and felt satisfied.  
_I'm free at last. But am I really free? I have five months and three weeks left before I need my...serum. Damn Abel! Damn him and his selfishness! He left me for dead in Japan, that bastard!_Bryan was building up a rage, and sneered through gritted teeth:  
"I wish that son of a bitch was dead!"  
Then, a female voice: "That's my job, and your vengeance, Mr. Fury."  
Bryan sat up, like he had received a shot of adrenaline in the chest, shocked by the sudden arival of the voice. She chuckled almost mockingly at Bryan.  
"I don't blame you for being startled, Mr. Fury."  
"Who are you, then?"  
"The Angel of Death, and I will grant your wish."

In from the door came a beautiful blonde woman, wearing a purple skin-tight PVC catsuit, unzipped in the front, revealing some serious cleavage. She was wearing high heels and a gun holster on her right thigh, a knife on the inside of her left shin. As deadly as she was beautiful; the perfect femme fatale. Bryan knew who she was. She was Nina Williams, one of the world's greatest assassins. But Bryan was not scared. She would not put on a show like this to a victim. Instead, Bryan just looked at her, standing in front of him. He was unsure what to make of what he was feeling, but whatever it was, it was trying too keep him off his cool, and it didn't work well enough for now.

"Well, hello there...Say, what's a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this, and not to mention in my room?"  
"Spare me those ridiculous pick-up lines, Fury. Let's get to business."  
"I agree. Call me Bryan."  
"Bryan...Nina Williams. If we're gonna work together, call me Nina."  
Bryan got up from the bed and shook her hand. "Nina...Nice name. But we are to work together, you say? I was not informed of this."  
"Well, you are the only one known to my client for being an ex-project of Abel's, being still alive and with a grudge against him, am I right?"  
"That's partially true..."  
Nina looked at him with a puzzled look on her face.  
"If I don't get more of these..." Bryan pulled out a syringe from his belt, "...in less than five months and three weeks, then I am dead. Again."  
"What do you mean, 'again'?"  
Bryan smirked at this response. "I see we have a lot to learn about each other..."

_To be continued..._

AN: Well, it seems the chapters get longer and longer each time. I hope I've satisfied you for now. If you want to see other cameo's like Yoshimitsu, tell me in a review, and I'll see what I can do.


	3. Preparations

**A Tale of Murder, Vengeance and Love  
**

_by Delirium3000_

AN: Just another chapter. Sorry to keep you waiting.

Disclaimer: No, I still do not own Tekken or any of its characters, Namco does.

change of perspective (3rd person always, following either Bryan or Nina)

"text" Dialogue

_text_ Thoughts

«text» Writing

You know the drill. Please R&R.

Chapter 3: Preparations

"Sit down, Nina. We have more time than you think."  
Bryan pulled out a chair for his 'guest', like a true gentleman. He wasn't really sure why he did that, but he didn't mind whatever was making him do this. The catsuit creaked when she sat down. Bryan sat himself down on the bedside, facing Nina. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and offered Nina one.  
"Thank you Bryan, but I don't smoke."  
"Oh well. You're at least somewhat more alive than me. Worried about lung cancer?"  
"To some extent, yes."  
"Anyway, let's begin with your story. Why are you here?" Nina was a bit perplexed by Bryan's hospitality. She wasn't used to hospitality at all, and now, Bryan used it to turn the tables. She was the one who was supposed to be calm and keeping cool here, and now she was socializing with her partner.  
_Snap out of it! You gotta be calm here!_  
Eventually, she got herself together, and told Bryan the story as she knew it. The cryosleep-induced amnesia, Anna Williams, the woman claiming to be her sister, her unknown son, her current mission. Bryan just sat there, looking at her while she unveiled her story. After she was finished, Bryan sat still for a short while. Then, he broke out of the trance he apparently was in.

_--- _

_Holy sh... she's beautiful...wait a minute! Do not think like that, Bryan! You gotta keep it cool now. Deny your impulses... deny your impulses... that's it..._  
Now, it was Bryan's turn. His story, as we know, was filled with death, betrayal and anger. She was as good a listener as Bryan was, almost entranced. When Bryan was finished with his story, they both got up.  
"Now, shall we?"  
Nina walked towards the door in a rather seductive manner. And Bryan responded like any other male would: he followed. They went outside, and when standing in the street, Bryan had to ask: "Where are we going?"  
Nina looked at him, and said: "We're going shopping."  
"What!"  
This sounded stupid, and Bryan had no objection with stating it. Nina chuckled at his response, yet again.  
"Not in the way you think, though..."

They walked towards a small video store, hidden away amongst the various shops littering downtown Tokyo. Nina walked up to the counter and whispered something to the store clerk before giving him a small bunch of cash. From a few feet away, Bryan saw that it was a rather small amount of yen. After the money switched hands, the clerk opened the back room. Nina waved at Bryan to enter the back with her. Bryan just shrugged and followed, unaware of what was hidden behind the innocent store. "Welcome to the best assassin store in Tokyo, Bryan!" Nina knew this place very well, apparently. Bryan just stared in amazement at the equipment laid out here; garottes, knives, swords, pistols, sub-machine guns, sniper rifles, explosives, everything.  
"I know that you're out of money, but I'm not, so anything here's on me. But remember, I'm not an infinite pile of cash, so be sensible."  
Bryan grinned deviously. "I'm not a very sensible man, but I guess I can make an exception in your case..."  
"You'd better..." Nina scowled at Bryan, but he was looking at the weapons.

After a while, it turned out that Bryan picked less weapons than Nina. When they got to the counter, Bryan had picked out an HK Mark23 with silencer and laser targeting module, two .50 Desert Eagles, a Rambo-knife and an MP5-N with silencer and attcable scope. Nina, on the other hand, had picked an SG-P226 with silencer, a silenced PSG-1, a garotte, two Beretta 92F's, a Glock G18 with a pack of extended clips, a pack of benzodiazepines, a pack of throwing knives, and a small stack of ammunition. Looking at Bryan's modest selection of equipment, she had to ask.  
"Do you really think that will do? And why are you not buying ammunition? You have got to keep your eyes open if you're..."  
"Ahem..." Bryan pointed towards a large sign over the counter, saying: «TODAY ONLY: Two free packs of ammunition for each handgun!»  
Nina simply replied "I knew that, I was just testing you..." "Testing...yeah, sure."  
Bryan could not resist teasing Nina with the fact that he saw something she didn't. "Let's just pay for this, shall we?"

Back outside, Bryan had to tease again: "Gotta keep your eyes open...heh..."  
"All right, so I was caught off-guard at one moment there. Pray that I won't be again, Bryan!" Nina snapped.  
"Jeez, sorry! It was just amusing to see you miss something like that."  
Nina didn't respond. Her mind was drifting._  
Why do I react this way? Is it because of...No, it can't be...it must not be...!  
_But she knew the answer. Although she wouldn't admit it herself.  
Finally, Bryan pierced her train of thought.  
"What now?"  
"We're going to pay a visit to my informer at Mishima Zaibatsu. He's off work today, but it may nott be easy for us to get something sensible out of him. Can you help me with that? Sometimes he just gets distracted when around me."  
"I can understand that, and yeah. I'll help you squeeze out the info."  
"Good." Nina smiled at her dead companion.

They arrived at a block of flats in the worst slums of Tokyo.Bryan looked at the deteriorating building in front of him. _This reminds me of New York, back at the undercover op in Hell's Kitchen...God, that was beyond even my standards..._  
Nina turned towards Bryan.  
"Well, here we are. I'll ring the bell and enter. If I need you, I'll whistle."  
"Great. I'll follow you into the hallway and wait by the entrance until you are in, and then I'll head up and listen in."  
"You know what you're doing, Bryan. I like that..." It was apparent that Nina was flirting with him.  
"You would..." Bryan chuckled.

Bryan got by the door when Nina rang the doorbell. The intercom asked who it was, and Nina replied: "It's me. Let me in."  
Then a buzz was heard, and Nina opened the door. As according to plan, Nina went straight up, while Bryan waited by the door. When he heard that Nina was let in and the apartment door was shut, Bryan walked up.

"Ah, it's you, Nina-san. Come in." The informer was a thin man, looking like he hadn't slept in a year. Nina walked into the tiny apartment and sat down on a chair, surprisingly not equipped with a set of sour socks. The man brushed some clothes from one chair onto the floor and sat down on the chair.  
"So...you want info, ne?"  
"Yes, I do." Nina crossed her legs. "Dr. Abel... You know him?"  
"Not personally. No one does. But I hear stories. He was new a week ago, but he had worked for Mishima before."  
"My client wants him out of the game."  
"That will be tricky. Abel himself is not heavily guarded, but he works in high-security areas, and no one has ever seen him leave one. I myself do not know what you can do. I have never seen him eat nor sleep. He works like a machine. Some says he even works in a secret lab way below the compound."  
"Do you believe it?"  
The informer shrugged.  
"I'm not sure. It sounds like a poor 70's secret agent flick. You know, the 'underground lab complex and enemy hideout' thing. But then again, you hear of stranger things and get them confirmed around the Zaibatsu compound. So I wouldn't be surprised if it was true."  
"Well, then...anything else?"  
"Errrr...yes, there was one more thing. If you want to get to Dr. Abel, then you'd better get on the good side of Heihachi's son."  
"Kazuya?"  
"Hai. That's all I know."  
"That's all I need."

Back outside, Nina was smiling triumphantly. Of course, Bryan had to ask.  
"We have a lead. A good lead, and it might even cooperate!"  
"What kind of lead is that, then?"  
"Not what, but who. We need Kazuya Mishima."  
Bryan placed a hand on Nina's forehead. She promptly removed the hand from her face and snapped at Bryan:  
"What was that for!"  
"I thought you were sick there for a moment."  
Nina put on a pair of shades and said: "Why should I be?"  
"Kazuya Mishima? He's not an easy man to get."  
"I know, I know..." said Nina,"but he is vital to this mission because, as you know, he too is a thorn in Abel's side. The only Mishima trying to keep Abel out of the Zaibatsu. We need his help."  
"Great..." Bryan stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed Nina.

G Corporation. Normally, a sleek towering monstrosity of a skyscraper, housing one of the world's leading biotech firms. After the raid initiated by Tekken Force, the building was sealed off, and it was crumbling slowly. Inside the building it was worse. Looked like the entire place had been nuked. But that wasn't what scared Nina or Bryan. They got scared when an almost inhumane wail was emitted a few levels above them. The two rushed up the source of the scream, being a scarred man, looking like he was growing wings and horns, levitating in mid-air while electrical currents ran through his body. An electrical current sent Bryan flying into the wall. It didn't take long until Bryan was on his feet again, though.  
"What...are you?"  
The creature landed, and turned into a human again. He was badly scarred, having, most notably, a large gash on his chest, and several lesser scars in his face. He opened his eyes, revealing one normal, brown eye, and one with a glowing red iris.  
"Kazuya... Mishima... Kazuya."

_To be continued..._

AN: Whew! Sorry again for the wait. I will try to be quicker with my next chapter. Now I'm considering to settle for seven chapters. I think I only need that to finish the story. Review. 'Til next time, sayonara.


	4. Revelations

**A Tale of Murder, Vengeance and Love**

_by Delirium3000_

AN: New update after a looooooong wait. Let's hope it is satisfactory. Oh, and I'll be interweaving some Tekken 5 elements. The start may be a bit confusing, perspective-wise, but we're not specifically following anyone at first. Oh and one more thing; the story in itself is breeding a life of its own and will most likely screw up the original plotline. Think of it as AU and no-one will get hurt. Domo arigato.

Disclaimer: No, I still do not own Tekken or any of its characters, Namco does.

¤¤¤ change of perspective (3rd person always, following either Bryan or Nina) 

"text" Dialogue

_text_ Thoughts

You know the drill. Please R&R.

* * *

Chapter 4: Revelations

Kazuya Mishima. Twenty years ago, he was a fearsome man, posessing unknown powers and control over the Mishima Zaibatsu. Then, when Heihachi returned, and Kazuya was defeated, he was thought to have been dead. Now that the truth was known, and it was confirmed that he was still alive, he wasn't just a fearsome man anymore, he was downright terrifying. And what Nina and Bryan had just seen told them something else; Kazuya was severely unstable.

"Kazuya, we need your help." Nina was direct and to the point, like usual.

"Yes. You seek...Abel, am I right?"

Bryan turned towards Kazuya, who was looking more stable now.

"Yeah, we want Abel. But we need his research material intact as well. That is the problem."

"A most severe problem too, Furi-san..."

Upon hearing this, Bryan stepped backwards in amazement.

"How do you know...?"

Kazuya smiled.

"I am a Devil. My genes have been corrupted by Abel. When I was young, he gave me the Devil Gene in its finished product. To this day, he claims I owe him my strength and, in turn, my life too. But he only made my life a living hell. When I gained control over the... Zaibatsu... 22 years ago, I also managed to find a way to contain the Devil Gene... or so I thought..."

"What happened?" Bryan asked.

"My inner demon manifested itself outside my body, and it almost took my own. After Father defeated me in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, my Devil Gene spawned my Devil manifestation outside of my body. And when that part died in battle with Father, I was lifeless, left to be thrown into the mouth of a volcano by my own father. When recucitated, I needed my other half to live on. It can give me eternal life... but at what cost? Loss of control. I can not control myself when in my Devil form. It does seem to obey Abel, though. So I need to get the Devil out of me, but I may need a body like yours, Furi-san."

Bryan looked at his hands like his lifeforce had just materialised in them.

"This is no life, at least not until Abel's research material is in the hands of Boskonovitch. He seems like our only hope."

"Then so be it. The last year has changed me, Furi-san. I was once a being thriving on chaos, now that I am aware of the chaos that is inside me, I don't want this anymore. My father is finally dead, partially by my own hand. I have fulfilled my purpose as far as that's concerned. There is no need for power anymore. I will have to take over the Zaibatsu and destroy it. I'll give the money to someone else, for I will not take part in this anymore..."

"You sound like you're in serious regret, Kazuya."

"Death has a way of changing you, Furi-san. You of all people should know."

A smirk crept across Bryan's face.

"Yeah, I should know... But we have a lot of work to do. Let's get to it, Kazuya. We need your help with Abel."

Kazuya looked at Bryan with a gaze that could petrify anything.

"There's something you should know before we head for the Zaibatsu compound."

"What?" Nina said, bordering on impatience.

"I know who is arranging the fifth Tournament."

"Who is?"

Bryan asked this question. He had been watching the developments in the news of the fifth Tournament with great interest ever since the fourth, and since news of Heihachi's death was spreading like wildfire, people were wondering who was arranging the fifth Tournament when no one was officially controlling the Mishima Zaibatsu.

Kazuya took a deep breath. "My grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima."

Nina shook her head. "How?"

"My father overthrew Jinpachi long before my time, but Jinpachi was never killed, but placed in a prison cell where he was in a deep coma. But when I tried to escape the Hon-Maru, I saw that in the ashes after the explosion rose a strange man that resembled a much older version of my father. Returning to Zaibatsu grounds a few days later, not only did I learn that Jinpachi assumed control of the entire Zaibatsu, but my half-brother Lee Chaolan, who seems to have an interest in the Zaibatsu, thinks I'm in charge there and is hell bent on settling things with me!"

Nina got a slight déjà-vu from that name.

"According to what I had heard, a tech mogul running under the name of Violet recently attempted to buy out the Mishima Zaibatsu. Wasn't this Violet character at the last Tournament? Would these two, Violet and Lee, happen to be the same?"

Kazuya picked up a tattered grey shirt and a pair of jeans from the ground.

"Hai, Williams-san. You are correct in assuming that Violet is Lee in disguise. And if I am not entirely mistaken, you have a connection to him you'll wish you never had..."

"What are you talking about?"

Kazuya looked at the puzzled assassin with a sense of amusement.

"You'll find out soon enough..."

Bryan brushed some dust off his trousers.

"Hey Kazuya, no time for mind games! Let's get busy!"

"Indeed. We have a lot to do."

Putting on the shirt, Kazuya found some shades in the chest pocket and put them on as well.

"We should head for the Zaibatsu grounds the day after tomorrow, when security is at its lowest. But it will still not be easy. However, I know the layout of the grounds by heart as well as where to go and where to hide. I'll run through everything a few times with you later, but for now, let's find your hotel and rest. We may not have the chance to do that properly later, and it is vital that we have rested well and feel invigorated when the Zaibatsu is to be infiltrated."

Both Nina and Bryan agreed, and the three walked towards the hotel.

They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later. Nina walked up to the counter and ordered two rooms. One double room with separate beds, and one single room. An effort to save the cash, Bryan thought, and instantly calculated that he and Kazuya, both being male, would have to share room. However when they got into the elevator, Kazuya stretched out his hand to Nina as if he expected her to give him something.

"What?"

"The key to the single-bed room, Williams-san."

"No way. We're dividing the rooms based on genders here, and as far as I can see, I'm the only female. So, the dead guys will have to share rooms."

"Not wise."

"What do you mean?"

"If I morph into a Devil, I can contain it enough to avoid structural damage, but I may trigger firearms by accident, as well as generate some magnetic fields. And in addition to the risk of triggering the guns and killing any of us, Furi-san has a cybernetic implant in his brain which can be ripped out of his skull if I am to have such a seizure."

"But..."

Bryan cut Nina short. "Point taken, Kazuya! I'll share the double room with Nina, you take the single room!"

Kazuya smiled. "Good. Then I can rest a bit easier too. I need both of you alive just as much as you need me that way."

If looks could kill, Bryan would most likely have his spine ripped out of his body by the look Nina gave him.

"Well, here we are. If I scream out in agony or you hear the sound of electric currents, do not, under any circumstance, enter my room."

Bryan chuckled at Kazuya's remark.

"And a good night to you too. See ya in the morning."

Kazuya shrugged and entered his room.

¤¤¤

Nina wasn't exactly thrilled about her roommate, but she realised she had little choice. This was the only companion not being a hazard to her health, after all. _Though,_ she thought, _my mind might get scarred from this. God, just looking at him is awkward. He's muscular, fair enough, and that scar over his eye is kind of sexy after all, but he is a real bastard. There is no question about that. _She shook her head and unpacked. Thinking about it would only make it all worse. Apart from being a bit pensive as usual, Bryan was not his usual self, as far as Nina could tell. She had, to be honest, never seen him off-guard, and it was strange. He was very quiet, acting unusually professional as he loaded the Mark23 and attached the laser targeting module. Nina had told him earlier on that she liked men who knew what they were doing, and every word was true. As one might imagine, being in the situation she was in now, she was torn between two worlds. On one hand, she had to stay cool and not give in. On the other hand, he was, without knowing, driving her insane. 

But after a slight tug-of-war inside her head, she regained her composure and went to bed. She had a lot to think about, regarding the mission and everything.

_Oh great, this case is getting stranger by the minute! First, I'm being contacted by a space ninja and a mad scientist, then I have to work with Mr. Dead-But-Not-Really, and now, I am also working with a half-man-half-devil, who has practically forced me into sharing rooms with the dead guy!_ _Just my luck... On top of it all, I'm starting to feel physically attracted to him. What has gotten into me? It shouldn't be like this! I'm supposed to be in control, and still, he makes me so... I'm not even going there! Argh! I cannot deny it for so long, I have to display my affections for him sooner or later... But how?_

It became apparent that she could not tell him now, but when the time was right. She figured she would know.

¤¤¤

Bryan was feeling no better, but had his own agenda in this. 

_Right, quick sit-ref: I am dragged into the entire Mishima power-play by Yoshimitsu, of all people, and now I have to work with a half-demon and Miss Assassin. Though she tries to hide it, I can see in the way she looks at me that she really thinks higher of me than she will let on, perhaps even exceeding what she'll acknowledge to herself. I've been collecting brain data for a long time, she cannot fool me. She may fool herself, but not me. This may be interesting..._ Bryan smiled to himself as the silencer tightened in his hand and as he cocked the hammer. _If she really feels deep affection for me, then I'll just have to push the right buttons, and she'll be mad with desire. That would be a laugh, the great and haughty assassin woman, getting soft on the ol' 'Snake Eye'. Heh, this will do for a good show..._

_To be continued..._

AN: Finally! After a loooooooooooong hiatus, I managed to piece together a new chapter. At this rate, you'll see the next chapter around 2006... but I don't think you'll need to wait that long, TBH. So until next time, sayonara.


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